Chapter 21: The Unveiling of a Legend

Though his voice was not loud, it rendered the entire GSA headquarters hall so profoundly silent that a dropped pin would have echoed.

Every eye in the room, without exception, snapped to him.

‘Terminate a Magical Girl contract?’

‘He must be mad.’

How could anyone willingly cast aside an honor that countless others desperately coveted yet could never attain?

The receptionist, utterly dumbfounded, stood with her mouth agape, unsure how to respond.

“Summon your supervisor; do not waste my time,” Gu Qing declared, tapping his finger impatiently against the desk.

Moments later, Qin Lan, Gu Qianqian’s direct superior, received the urgent message and rushed to the scene.

The sight of the figure, at once familiar and disturbingly strange, instantly filled her with a sense of dread.

‘Gu Qing? What could he possibly be doing here?’

“Hello, Mr. Gu,” Qin Lan greeted him, her voice tinged with a complex mix of emotions as she approached.

To her knowledge, Gu Qing was merely Su Wanning’s former lover, a man who had spiraled into a decade-long haze of alcoholism and self-pity.

“Team Leader Qin,” Gu Qing began, his voice flat. “I believe you’re well aware of my purpose here. Let us proceed directly with the formalities.”

“There is nothing to discuss,” Gu Qing retorted without hesitation. “My daughter is a minor, and as her parent, I possess the right to terminate her contract. Should the GSA attempt to impede this, I will not hesitate to pursue legal action. Such a public dispute would benefit no one.”

He emphasized the words ‘minor’ and ‘law’ with chilling precision.

Qin Lan’s expression tightened, becoming visibly strained.

While she recognized the truth in Gu Qing’s words, Gu Qianqian possessed the most exceptional talent the GSA had seen in a decade, making it utterly impossible for them to simply release her.

“Mr. Gu, I understand your concerns,” Qin Lan began, attempting to reason with him. “However, Qianqian herself…”

“She’s still a child! What the hell does she know?” Gu Qing’s voice abruptly escalated into a furious roar. “You know better than I do how perilous that Academy Festival, reported in the news, truly was! If not for sheer luck and Tian Lanxing’s presence, she might very well be a corpse right now! Do you genuinely wish for her to follow Wanning’s tragic footsteps?!”

Su Wanning’s death remained a raw, enduring pain for Qin Lan as well.

Her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

She knew, deep down, that she was utterly outmatched in this argument.

Left with no alternative, Qin Lan sent a message to Gu Qianqian, hoping her daughter could somehow persuade her father.

Little did she know, this impulsive decision would prove to be one of her most foolish.

A short while later, Gu Qianqian stormed in, her face flushed with fury.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, her anger flaring the moment her eyes landed on Gu Qing. “By what right do you presume to make decisions on my behalf?”

“Because I am your father!” Gu Qing retorted, refusing to yield an inch. “Let me tell you, Gu Qianqian, as long as I draw breath, you can forget about being any damned Magical Girl!”

“You’re nothing but a coward! A spineless waste of space, forever running from reality!” Gu Qianqian cried, her eyes blazing crimson with rage. “You never understood Mother’s ideals, and you certainly don’t understand my resolve to become a hero!”

‘Waste of space?’

Anyone else might hurl those words at him, but never, ever his own daughter.

Yet this rebellious brat dared to constantly use that very term to belittle him!

His face flushed a deep crimson as he roared back at Gu Qianqian.

“The fate of a hero is to die a gruesome death, their body torn asunder! Then to be scorned by the world, only to be utterly forgotten! Your mother stands as the starkest example!”

Every cutting word exchanged between father and daughter struck directly at the most vulnerable parts of their hearts.

The surrounding GSA staff watched in stunned silence, none daring to utter a sound.

“I hate you!”

With that raw declaration, Gu Qianqian turned and fled, tears streaming down her face.

Gu Qing’s face remained impassive, yet his tightly clenched fists betrayed him, his knuckles stark white.

Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh, then waved a hand, signaling for the surrounding staff to disperse.

‘Why must it be this way…’

“This does not concern you,” Gu Qing stated, his expression reverting to its usual coldness, before he turned and walked away.

As she watched his solitary figure retreat, a complex mix of emotions churned within Qin Lan.

At that precise moment, her phone rang.

It was Director Zhou Huaian calling.

“Qin Lan! I demand immediate results regarding Tian Lanxing! I don’t care what methods you employ, but she *must* come to headquarters within the week!”

****

The day after his explosive argument with his daughter, Gu Qing, in his persona as Bai Shiyu, received a communication request from Qin Lan on his dedicated phone.

He answered the call only after transforming.

Qin Lan requested his presence at the Aegis Tower, without specifying the reason.

Gu Qing initially considered hanging up immediately.

Yet, the memory of Qin Lan’s pleading tone softened his resolve.

‘Ah, consider it a debt I owe you.’

‘Let this serve as compensation for my abrupt departure seventeen years ago.’

He sighed once more, exchanged his baggy loungewear for a fitted hoodie, and stepped out the door.

****

The GSA conference room.

A solemn and grave atmosphere permeated the air.

Qin Lan stood at the head of the table, her gaze sweeping over every individual in attendance.

Her elite squad members, the newly inaugurated Magical Girls Flame Rose and Morning Dew, and several high-ranking GSA executives were all present.

At this moment, both Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu wore rather complex expressions.

They were already privy to Bai Shiyu’s true identity.

Yet, witnessing the unveiling of this secret before so many GSA members evoked an entirely different sensation.

“I am aware that many of you have numerous questions regarding the report on the Holy Cherry Academy incident,”

Qin Lan’s voice cut through the pervasive silence.

“Today, I shall reveal the answers you seek.”

She turned, extending a hand towards the golden-haired girl standing beside her.

“This individual is the legend returned, the strongest Magical Girl, Tian Lanxing!”

The moment her words faded, a profound silence descended upon the conference room, only to be shattered an instant later by a thunderous eruption of applause.

Even a white-haired GSA executive, typically stern and unsmiling, found his weathered face flushed crimson with excitement, tears glistening in his seasoned eyes.

The younger elite members, meanwhile, gasped for breath, their cheeks burning red as they gazed at the golden-haired girl, as if beholding a legendary deity on a pilgrimage.

‘That was Tian Lanxing!’

‘The myth who saved the world, the very first belief that set them upon this path!’

“It’s truly her…”

“Am I dreaming?”

****

Gu Qing, however, who felt Qin Lan had deliberately set him up, remained deeply resentful.

He had been thrust into this meeting without any prior knowledge, now standing here, an object of reverence.

Gu Qing had never once expressed a desire to make a comeback. Indeed, were it not for the fact that leaving now would undoubtedly humiliate Qin Lan, he would have long since shattered a window and flown straight out.

Lin Xiaolu, on the other hand, let out a silent sigh of relief.

‘Excellent! Team Leader Qin Lan has proactively revealed Senior’s identity. Now I won’t be reprimanded for leaking secrets, will I?’

Gu Qianqian’s emotions were far more intricate. She gazed at the girl who was simultaneously her deskmate, her idol, and her mother’s dearest friend, a torrent of conflicting feelings washing over her.

At this very moment, under the gaze of countless expectant eyes, the unexpected occurred!

Bai Shiyu, standing poised beside Qin Lan, was suddenly enveloped in an intense burst of pink light.

“Holy hell!”

Gu Qing inwardly cursed, an ominous premonition washing over his entire being.

Within the radiant pink glow, his body was forcibly undergoing a drastic transformation.

His height rapidly diminished, his bones shrinking, and a dizzying tingling sensation surged from his spine all the way to his brain, almost making him cry out aloud.

As the light dissipated.

The entire conference room fell into an immediate, stunned silence, every single person utterly dumbfounded.

Gu Qianqian and Lin Xiaolu gaped, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

‘This… is this Senior Tian Lanxing?’

The familiar figure of Bai Shiyu had vanished.

In her place stood a girl with luminous pink hair, deep violet eyes adorned with a delicate tear mole beneath one, and an overall aura of captivating, almost fey allure.

Gu Qing’s mind went utterly blank.

‘Now I’m completely screwed.’